Fashion, Economics, and Social Justice

For the forthcoming Seneca Falls Dialogues on Gender, Economics, and Enterprise (to be held in Seneca Falls, NY between October 21-23, 2016), I am assembling a session on the theme of “Fashion, Economics, and Social Justice.” Sessions at the Dialogues are a unique blend of research presentations, and active discussion with conference attendees.

Questions and issues to be addressed and discussed in the session will include, but are not limited to:

•      -How does (and has) the fashion industry worked as a site of national and global economic empowerment and oppression for (especially female) workers? How have (and do) workers labor within, and work to resist, these hierarchical economic structures?

•     – How have (especially female) workers and allies created movements for economic justice within the fashion and garment industries, and what have some of the complexities and challenges of building and sustaining these movements been?

•      -How has (especially women’s) work in the fashion and garment industries been represented in popular culture and media? What has been valuable and problematic about these representations?

For the Dialogues, my own remarks will focus on how I have taught issues of class, labor, and social justice in my course in the history of fashion in the United States, and some of the challenges and insights I have encountered and gained from so doing.

If you are interested in joining this session, please e-mail the following information to Holly Kent at hkent3@uis.edu<mailto:hkent3@uis.edu>, by Friday, February 26th:

1) A 150-200 word proposal for your own remarks for the session

2) A brief (no more than 2 page) copy of your vitae

3) Any technology needs you might have for the session

For more information on the Dialogues, and their larger call for papers, please see:

http://senecafallsdialogues.com/about/call-for-dialogues-page/call-for-dialogues/, and please address any questions to me at hkent3@uis.edu<mailto:hkent3@uis.edu>.

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